


Anarchy

by radiance



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Gen, and i was inspired to do a 5sos au lol, i saw the purge last night, so here we go
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-19
Updated: 2014-07-19
Packaged: 2018-02-09 13:38:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1984956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/radiance/pseuds/radiance
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Either by chance or for their own reasons, Michael, Luke, Calum and Ashton all end up on the streets of LA during the most dangerous night of the year; the Annual Purge. -- still being edited lol sorry if its crap right now</p>
            </blockquote>





	Anarchy

**Author's Note:**

> Try your best to change your fate  
> You can just enjoy the ride  
> The sun will rise, the moon will fall  
> Tomorrow never dies

_"This is your emergency broadcast system announcing the commencement of the annual purge. At the siren, all crimes, including murder, will be legal for twelve hours. All emergency services will be suspended. Your government thanks you for your participation."_

* * *

 

 

__

 Michael and Luke were flopped down across Luke's bed, French books spread all around them. They stare up at the ceiling, neither really feeling like actually working.

  
“I hate french,” Michael says.

“Je déteste français,” Luke responds and Michael rolls over to glare at him, but Luke just grins.

 Tonight was the annual Purge, and Michael and Luke had a huge French project due the next week so they had decided that Michael was just going to stay at Luke's overnight during the lockdown. Luke was glad for the company, if he was being honest; each year, his family went over to one of their friend's for a Lockdown Party and Luke really hated going to those, and this was the first year he was allowed to stay home alone.

“I'm so hungry,” Michael complains.

“J'ai très faim.”

“Shut up, Luke, I'm serious. Can we make some food?” Michael asks and Luke nods, rolling off the bed to his feet. The two of them head downstairs to the kitchen where Michael wastes no time opening the fridge and sticking his head inside.

“Don't you have anything good?” his voice muffled by the fridge door. “I swear all you have is healthy food,” he finishes, peering at Luke over the door. Luke shrugs sheepishly.

“My parents don't like to have junk food in the house,” he defends. Michael just sighs and closes the fridge.

“Well, I'm not going to be locked down here all night with no good food,” he glances at the clock, “let's go to the grocery store, I'll buy us a frozen pizza or something,” Michael offers. Luke's eyes widen as he looks at the face of the clock.

“You want to go outside? _Now_?”

“We'll be fine! We've got loads of time,” Michael assures Luke, who bites his lip. They had just over two hours, and the grocery store was twenty minutes into the city. Luke contemplates.

“Alright... I guess,” he agrees, finally, and Michael grins. “I'm just gonna get changed,” he decides, looking down at his sweats and tank top. Michael grabs an apple from the basket on the counter and takes a bite.

“I'll wait here,” he decides, chewing noisily and hopping up onto the counter. Luke rolls his eyes with a smile as he heads back upstairs. He changes his sweats for track pants and his ratty tank top for a t-shirt with his high school's name written on the front. He heads out of his room, but pauses at the top of the stairs.

He glances behind him to his parents room down the hallway. He just couldn't shake the bad feeling he had in his gut about going out right now. He turns around and hurries into his parent's room and into the closet. He makes his way to the safe in the back of the closet and quickly spins the lock with the combination.

The safe door swings open and Luke peers inside it's depths. He moves aside some papers, taking a moment to glance at them; there's a letter with unfamiliar writing, some money, and a jewelled ring. Behind those, is what Luke is actually looking for: he carefully picks up the 9mm pistol his parents kept for emergencies. Luke checks that it was loaded, clicks the safety on, and grabs one extra box of bullets as an afterthought before shutting and locking the safe once again. The gun is heavy in his hands, but it's not necessarily an unwelcome weight, and he holds it up at eye level and aiming it the button of one of his Mom's jackets. He doesn't shoot, that'd be ridiculous, but he gets a feel for the gun – practices aiming, before dropping it back down to his side and tucking it carefully into the waistband of his pants. He carefully smooths his t-shirt down over the gun before turning the lights off and shutting the door behind him as he heads back downstairs. Michael's sat on the counter still, swinging his feet.

 

“Took you a while,” Michael comments idly. Luke makes a non-committal noise.

“Let's get going, yeah?” he says instead and Michael nods, jumped down from the counter. They head into the garage and Michael slips into his shoes. Luke pauses.

“You're going to wear flip flops?” he asks incredulously. Michael turns around and raised an eyebrow.

“What are _you_ wearing?”

“Sneakers,” Luke answers, lacing up his shoes. “I can lend you a pair,” he offers and Michael thought for a moment.

“Better safe than sorry, I guess, right?” Michael says, an odd tone colouring his voice. Luke doesn't comment on it, rather just grabs a pair of his brother's sneakers that were Michael's size and handed them over. He finds a pair of socks as well and chucks those at Michael's head, earning him a swear.

 

Luke opens the garage once they're ready, and unlocks his car. The '98 Honda civic beeps at him as he gets in, Michael getting into the passenger side opposite him. Luke starts up the car and backs out slowly, putting the car in park once they were out of the garage. Luke closes the garage and fishes into his pants pocket for the alarm system remote. His hand bumps against the box of bullets and Luke swallows, before his hand closes on the remote. He pulls it out and Michael raises an eyebrow.

“You're locking down already?” he asks.

“Just in case,” Luke says, not looking at Michael. Michael frowns, but doesn't disagree and so the two watch in silence as the metal barriers roll down over all the doors, windows, and the garage. Luke puts the car in reverse and continues down his driveway, the gates closing behind them as they set off into the city.

 

* * *

       

         Calum swallows, lost in his head as his friends chatter on around him. He doesn't even really know why he calls these people his friends. Most of them were just idiots, if he was being honest. He digs the toe of his sneakers into the cracked pavement at his feet. Mimi sits beside him, staying quiet as the other two ramble on.

“Nervous, Cal?” James asks suddenly, smirking. Calum blinks.

“Course I'm nervous, it's the fucking Purge,” Calum retorts.

“You gonna pussy out?” Adam taunts and Calum clenches his hands into fists. He's definitely regretting taking the dare, but he wasn't backing out now.

“Nope,” he says firmly, licking his lips. He looks out over the park as the sun crept towards the horizon. The chains on the swings rattle in the slight breeze in the empty playground. There's a solid forest line behind the bench that they're sat on and they watch cars race by on the street in front of the park, eager to get home before the Purge starts. There's was a beat of silence and Adam's phone beeps. He checks it and looks over at Calum. There's something almost apologetic in his gaze.

“My mom says I've gotta get home now...” He says, and his words hang in the air. Calum's heart starts beating just a little bit faster.

Calum raises his eyebrows. “Better get home to Mummy, then,” he says innocently, tone confident even thought he's really anything but. Calum curves lips in a smirk, and Adam gives Calum an unreadable look.

“See you later, then,” Adam says, biting his lip.

Calum can't resist, “You bet I'll be seeing you later,” Calum taunts and Adam blinks. “I'm joking,” Calum tells him and Adam rolls his eyes.

“Whatever, man,” he pauses, “Good luck, Cal,” Adam says, before turning around and jogging out to the street. The three left watch Adam leave in silence.

 

“I should probably get home too, my parents want to lock up soon,” James says quietly, once Adam's gone from view. “Mimi, come on, I'll walk you home,” he tells her. Mimi, quiet until now, stands slowly.

“Be safe, yeah?” James tells Calum, who nods, a bit numbly as reality sets in. Mimi ducks her head and presses a kiss to Calum's cheek. She pulls back and looks him in the eyes.

“If you're in trouble, you can come to my house,” she says quietly. “We'll let you in, I promise. Please be careful,” she tells him, and Calum feels fondness flutter in his chest at her words – people never re-open their doors after locking down... it was just too dangerous.

“Thank you,” Calum tells her sincerely. She stands back up.

“You're brave as hell,” James says and his words have a final sound to them. “See you in the morning,” he says. Calum swallows.

“Yeah... In the morning,” Calum echoes. Mimi and James turn around and head out to the street and back to their homes. Calum sits on the bench still, remembering earlier that week at school when James and Adam had dared him to stay out during the Purge. They hadn't been quiet about it, drawn a lot of attention in the school cafeteria, so there was no way Calum was going to say no.

He reaches into his pocket for the switchblade he carries and flicks it open absentmindedly. He checks the time on his watch. It's almost six o'clock – one hour until commencement. He tries to think about how he was going to survive the night, keeps flicking the blade out, snapping it shut, then back out again as the sun falls lower in the sky. He doesn't notice the people already stalking the treeline behind the park, weapons resting easily in their hands.

 

* * *

 

 

         Luke and Michael breathe a sigh of relief once they finally get back into the parking lot. The grocery store was crazy with people needing last minute items for the night. The person in front of them in the cashier line-up was purchasing a very large quantity of liquid fire starters and other flammable things, but Luke and Michael didn't ask him what he needed them for. Michael checks his watch.

“Luke, we have lots of time, we're fine,” Michael tells him, shifting the plastic bags full of junk food in his hands to pat Luke on the back.

“We have half an hour,” Luke states.

“...and it's only twenty minutes to get home,” Michael reminds him. “And you can speed, it's not like they'll pull you over tonight.”

“I know, I've just got a bad feeling,” Luke chews on his lip. He grabs his car keys out of his pocket and unlocks the car. He jumps a little as the car beeps. He pops the trunk and Michael drops all the bags in and slams it shut. Luke heads to the driver's side door and Michael rattles the handle of the passenger side door opposite him.

“Hurry up and unlock it,” Michael complains.

“I did!” Luke protests, taking out the keys to unlock it again.

 

Suddenly, out of nowhere, something slams hard into his side and he hears Michael cry out. Luke's hand closes instinctively on the pistol in his waistband as he turns to face whatever hit him. A man in a clown mask laughs jeeringly at him and waves tauntingly and Michael stares down another masked man on the other side of the car. Luke clears his throat. This wasn't uncommon, for Purgers to be out early to scare people and just get an early start on the “fun”, but Luke had never came face to face with one before. Or face to mask, rather.

“Back the fuck up, it hasn't started yet you psychopath,” Luke tells him, subtly aiming the gun at the man. The clown's face was painted in a terrifying smile, and he tilts his head, still staring at Luke.

“I said fuck off!” Luke says, louder, and the two clowns backs away, laughing hauntingly before disappearing into the row of parked cars. Michael and Luke turn to look at each other.

“That was fucking terrifying,” Michael breathes, panic clear in his eyes.

“Let's just go,” Luke says, finally getting the doors unlocked and getting inside.

 

He doesn't realize he still has the gun in his hand until Michael sees it.

“What the fuck is that?!” Michael yelps, staring at him.

“The fuck does it look like?” Luke snaps. There was a tense silence and Luke sighs and presses his palms to his eyes, rubbing hard before dropping his hands to the steering wheel.

“Sorry,” he apologizes. Michael bites his lip.

“Do you know how to use it?” Michael askes tentatively. Luke nods.

“My dad taught all of us a couple years ago...” Luke tells him. “I've never had to actually use it though,” he continues. Michael swallows.

“Let's just get going, yeah?” he suggests and Luke nods. He starts the car up, and shifts it into gear and they pull out of the lot. As they leave, they drive past a white, graffiti painted utility van with blacked out windows. The two clowns from earlier lean against it, with three more of the masked people on dirtbikes beside them. They rev their engines and give Luke and Michael a wave as they turn onto the street.

“Creepy fuckers,” Michael comments, watching them shrink in the side mirror as they drive. Luke hums his agreement, one hand on the wheel, his other in his lap, fingertips drumming against his thigh.

 

Neither of them really knew what to say so Luke turns on the radio and tries to relax a bit. He keeps the pistol in his lap and he feeks comforted by it's weight. Michael fiddles with the fabric of his basketball shorts. They drive on and suddenly, Luke notices the cars speed dropping. He looks down at the dashboard and swears. Michael's head turns to look at him.

“What's up?” he asks, panic back in his eyes.

“I don't know how this is possible,” Luke says incredulously. “I literally just filled the car up yesterday,” Luke says and Michael's eyes widen.

“Please don't tell me...”

“We're out of gas,” Luke finishes, and right on cue, the car stutters to a stop in the middle of the bridge.

 

They sit there, in stunned silence as the sun touches the mountains on the horizon.

“How is this happening,” Michael says to no one is particular, eyes wide. Luke unbuckles his seatbelt and unlocks the doors.

“Where are you going?” Michael asks, scrambling to unbuckle his own belt.

“To check what happened, there's no possible way I could be out of gas already,” he says, and opens his door. Michael nearly falls out of the car trying to follow Luke. Luke makes his way around to the back of the car and peers down at the ground, and feels his heart skip a beat.

There's a thin trail of leaking gas pooling on the pavement, and the trail stretches all the way down the bridge as far as Luke can see. Realization hits Luke like a pound of bricks.

 

“Oh my god,” he breathes, and Michael realizes a half beat later.

“Those people... back at the store,” he says, and panic rises in his chest.

“They cut our fucking gas line,” Luke finishes and leans back against he car and puts his head in his hands. “What time is it?” Luke asks, voice muffled through his hands.

 

“We have ten minutes...” Michael responds and Luke feels the first inklings of terror start to creep through him. They were still at least a fourty five minute walk from his house, and that was going straight through the heart of downtown, where everyone came to purge. Michael's trembling voice draws him from behind his hands.

“They're here..” he nearly whimpers and Luke looks to where Michael's terror-filled gaze is staring. At the end of the bridge, is the white van, the dirt bikes, and the masked men from earlier. Luke's shocked into immobility for a moment, before he gets a hold of himself and realizes he left the gun in the car. He runs to the driver's side, pulls the door open and grabs the gun before kicking the door shut.

 

“Michael, we've gotta go, now,” Luke tells him and Michael turns to look at him. He's clearly terrified, and Luke's never seen him like this. His gaze flickers back to the group at the end of the bridge, moving closer in a slow, leisurely pace, and then back to Luke. There's a large billboard on the side of the bridge and it shows a countdown to the commencement... a countdown with just six minutes left. They don't have time for this.

“Michael!” Luke says sharply, louder now, and Michael blinks before hurrying over to Luke. They take off running, away from the masked group, who are still taking their time, waiting for the night to truly start.

 

* * *

 

      Calum first realizes how much trouble he's actually in for, before the night even starts. There's still a couple minutes until everything goes to shit when Calum gets his first glimpse at what'll be out there tonight. A massive pickup truck rips past the street in front of the park; it's got a metal reinforced bumper as well as several huge rednecks standing in the back of the truck. They're yelling and hollering, one of them swinging a chain around his head and the others manning a huge machine gun that's been bolted into the truck bed. They go right past without noticing Calum, but it scares him enough for him to realize that he needs to find somewhere not so exposed. He knows he hasn't got long, so he starts off at a jog towards the street.

He hits the sidewalk and looks both ways. The huge truck from earlier is just down the block, doing burnouts across people's lawns. Calum can hear the brakes squeal as it comes to a screeching halt in the middle of the street, facing Calum, who had been spotted. His heart is hammering wildly as there's a moment of silence. Suddenly, the speakers atop the light poles crackle to life and Calum literally starts shaking as his heart pounds. He's frozen in his tracks and he can barely hear as the familiar message starts to play over the truck gunning it's engine.

_"This is your emergency broadcast system announcing the commencement of the annual purge. At the siren, all crimes, including murder, will be legal for twelve hours. All emergency services will be suspended. Your government thanks you for your participation."_

 

* * *

 

        Ashton leaves behind any second thoughts as he gets into his car. He's been planning this for months, ever since the drunk driving bastard that killed his brother and sister got off without any charges due to the police station mishandling evidence. Ashton swallows as he buckles his seatbelt. He'd spent the past while adding improvements to the black Dodge Charger solely for this night. He'd tinted his windows, added bulletproof glass, reinforced the bumper and gotten thicker tires. Ashton dumps the duffle bag on the passenger side seat and makes sure he's got his pistol on top for easy access. He opens the garage and drives out slowly, shutting and locking it up behind him. The engine roars under his touch, longing to be let loose. And God, he wants to.

He pulls out into the street as the siren starts up.

 

* * *

 

        There's a quick pause after the message, in which Calum spots the alley way half a block down and across the street, before the siren goes. It's a low wail that sends terror right down through his bones and the truck rips into gear, screaming down the street towards him. They've turned all their lights on, and it's almost blinding in the light of the sunset, and Calum finally finds his feet and takes off towards the alley as the rednecks start shooting into the air. Calum's never ran so fast in his life, and he sprints across the street as the truck starts to take aim.

They're closing the distance fast, faster than Calum can run, and when they open fire, Calum's thinking that he's not going to make it, that he's going to die out here on the streets because of a dumb dare, when there's two muted gunshots from somewhere above him. He spins around, waiting to feel a bullet tear into him, and instead sees the two rednecks slumped in the back of the truck, bleeding from single shots to their head. There's one shot more and Calum ducks instinctively, and the driver of the truck slumps, head hitting the horn and making it blare as the truck roars past, the dead driver's foot still heavy on the gas. It veers out of control and hits a large oak tree in the front of somebody's lawn and stops still, smoking faintly. Calum swallows, hardly daring to move as he looks around for the shooter.

He hears a whistle and looks up at the house to the left of the alley and sees a man in a cap and sunglasses perched on the roof. He's got a sniper rifle set up on the ledge and Calum's hardly daring to believe what he's seeing.

“I don't know what the fuck you're doing out here, but you better keep moving,” he calls down in a gruff voice. Calum's still stunned into silence.

“I don't kill kids, but if you're going to keep standing there, making an easy target for me, I might make an exception,” the sniper continues and Calum blinks and swallows and nods all at once.

He takes off running again down the path, and realizes a little bit later that he never thanked the man.

 

 


End file.
